Freshman Claxton Ladine scored a season-high 14 points — all coming in the second half — in a 66-55 loss to Campolindo (Moraga) in the opening round of the Holiday Hoop Classic at Modesto Christian High School.

The Bulldogs (9-5) will take on Clovis East (8-6) today at 2:30 p.m. The Timberwolves lost 66-62 in their opener against Edison (Stockton).

Ladine, brother of senior point guard Jed Ladine, helped keep the game close in the second half. The Bulldogs, who fell behind 14-0 to start the game, trailed by 19 at the break and by more than 20 in the second half. The Bulldogs stormed back and got to within 11 in the third quarter, though they never could cut the deficit to single digits.

Still, Turlock had a chance.

“I knew we were playing a really tough team,” Ladine said. “So, I had to step up.”

Ladine drained a trio of three-pointers in the third quarter, and another in the fourth as the ’Dogs outscored Campo 34-26 in the second half.

“He’s not scared to play basketball, especially being Jed’s brother, he’s ready for the moment,” said assistant coach Dylan Collins, subbing for head coach Nick Nathanson, who missed the opener with the flu. “I told him, ‘Whenever your number’s called, be ready. If you miss a shot, move right on to the next one.’ We tell him all the time, if you have an open shot, you take the shot. He’s a good player and it was fun to see him step up and give us the extra momentum that we needed today when the offense wasn’t going.”

Campolindo coach Steven Dyer also was impressed with the younger Ladine’s play in the pressure cooker that is the Holiday Hoop Classic.

“He plays with confidence,” said Dyer, whose team improved to 7-2 and will take on Edison tonight at 8:30. “We knew he could shoot and he helped keep the game close in the second half.”

Gavin Cox, who leads Turlock with a scoring average of 23.2 points per game, finished with 18 against the Cougars. Jed Ladine, who entered the contest averaging 17.7, finished with 10.

For Campolindo, its trio of 6-foot-3 senior guards led the way offensively, with Clay Naffziger totaling 22, Logan Robeson finishing with 21 and Shane O’Reilly adding 17.

“They move the ball well, they dribble and drive, and they hit their 3’s,” said Collins. “They’re a very well coached team; a very disciplined team. So, we knew coming out of the gate that we had to rotate quickly and get out on their shooters. Nothing but respect for them, though. They hit their shots.”